Marco's second date
by Reece15
Summary: Something I uploaded to another site between 'Bon bon the birthday clown' and raid the cave. Got some pretty good feedback there, so I hope you enjoy. Jackie makes some plans with Marco the day after the dance, but Stars quest to find Glossaryk and the wand might just prove to. Be more. Important.
1. Chapter 1

Part one: the morning

The Diaz house was unusually quiet for a Saturday morning. The weekend had just begun and there were no unusual additions to the building or surprise visits from some weird inter-dimensional creatures. Nope. Nobody had even woken up yet, that was until a very familiar sound filled the silent halls. It was Marco's 'space unicorn' ringtone. Marco rolled over, still half asleep, reaching for his bedside table, not fully realizing what was going on until he saw the caller I.D on the screen of his phone. Jackie was calling. He didn't have time to question why she was calling so early in the morning as he quickly answered the call, fearing and might hang up before he got the chance.

'Hey Jackie, what's up?' He asked whilst desperately not trying to sound dazed. 'Hey Marco! Sorry I called so early...I was... Kinda wondering if you'd want to hang out for a little while later, since we didn't get all that much time together last night and all.' Marco, who all of a sudden was wide awake, took no time at all to respond. 'Yeah, sure thing! What were you planning on?' He heard a slight chuckle coming from the other side. 'it'll be a surprise. I'll head over there soon.' He could almost feel her smiling through the phone, and couldn't help but smile back . 'Well alright, I'll see you when you get here.' And the call was over. He kinda wished he knew exactly what Jackie was planning so he knew how to get ready.

He decided to go get some breakfast before worrying too much about that, but as soon as he left his room, Star also stepped out into the hallway. She definitely looked better than when she had gone to sleep that night, but she still wasn't quite herself. 'Morning Star.' He spoke softly as they walked towards each other. 'Are you... Uh... Feeling alright today?' She yawned loudly, stretching her arms cartoonishly above her head. 'Yeah, I'm okay, I still feel a little tired... And worried.' They both reached the kitchen and began preparing breakfast for themselves. 'I know, let's just hope Ludo takes his time figuring out how to use that book.' Star nodded silently. 'We should start looking for him as soon as we can.' She was right, they had to, it was their best chance at finding the book before any thing went wrong.

'Is something wrong Marco?' She was looking at him, confused at why he looked so sad all of a sudden. 'Oh no, not really... Well...kinda. Jackie wanted to hang out today, so I've gotta cancel with her.' Star scratched her head with guilt. 'Well, I mean we could always go looking some other time I guess.' But Marco shook his head. 'Or I could just reschedule, Jackie is really understanding, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind.' Star was biting her lip. 'Or you could have her come with us!' She blurted out seemingly against her own will. 'Well couldn't that be dangerous? after all she's only been in another dimension once, and that didn't go all too well.' Star shrugged her shoulders. 'Well alright, I thought you wanted to spend time with her but...' Marco quickly interrupted her. 'Alright fine! I'll ask her to come. She should be here soon.'

With that he finished his breakfast and went back upstairs, leaving Star alone in the kitchen. She was starting to regret suggesting Jackie coming along. She remembered her reaction from the night before to seeing Marco and Jackie together and began to worry about what she might if they were directly in front of her, she started trying to think of excuses. 'If we do find Ludo, she could be hurt really badly.' 'Would she be able to fight if she was in trouble?' 'What if she were to get separated from us?' But before she could think of something convincing enough for Marco, the doorbell rang.


	2. Chapter 2

Part two: A change of plans.

Marco quickly rushed to the door, almost tripping on the way down the stairs. He composed himself before slowly opening the door, revealing Jackie, who was stood somewhat awkwardly with her arms tucked uncomfortably behind her back.

'Hi Marco!' He was about to tell her about what was going on, but before he could open his mouth, she revealed what was behind her back. 'I got something for you.' it was a skateboard, and not only that, it looked like it was custom made, with his name on the bottom with a bunch of cool looking designs around it. He took the board in his hands. 'You got this in Just one night?' He asked, sounding slightly awestruck. 'Oh yeah, I know a few people who design art for boards, so I gave one of them ideas last night, and went to pick it up this morning. Do you like it?' He was still a little surprised by this, so he didn't answer her right away. 'Oh, it's awesome, I love it!' Her face lit up with a smile.

'I figured I could teach you a little bit about skating today, and then maybe what do you think?' Then Marco's heart sank, and he could feel his expression change from excitement, to sadness. 'Is something wrong Marco? I got some extra safety gear if you're worried about falling off?' He shook his head and started to explain. 'No, that's not it, it's just that after you called, Star told me that we have to go look for her book, so I asked if you could come... And it just sucks that you would do all this, only for me to change...' She interrupted him by putting her finger to his mouth gently. 'Its cool Marco. Don't worry about it. I think going to another dimension could be pretty cool too, and it's not going to take all day right? We could always go after, right?' She moved her hand and smiled back at him. 'Y...Yeah, you're right, why don't you come on in?'

Marco lead Jackie to the kitchen, expecting Star to still, be there, but only finding his parents, who had clearly only just woken up. 'Good morning you two!' His dad yelled. 'It's good to see you again so soon Jackie!' His Mom followed up. Jackie smiled calmly at their enthusiasm, despite their tired appearance. 'It's good to see you guys too, I hope you don't mind me being here this early though.' They both smiled at her. 'Not at all, Star just went upstairs if you were looking for her.' And with that, they thanked them and went up to Stars room.

'Hey you guys!' Star exclaimed as the pair entered her room, slightly more enthusiastically than she had planned too. 'Hey Star. What is the plan for today?' Star hesitated for a second. 'Yeah, about that, I was...Thinking about it, maybe this could wait until another day.' Marco opened his mouth to protest, but Jackie beat him too it.

'Star... I don't know much about who that little creepy dude was, but he didn't seem like the kind of person to wait around to do evil stuff.' Marco nodded. 'She's right. Ludo didn't have the kind of power he does now all the other times, and something about him definitely seemed different, and we don't know what his plan is.' Star nodded in sad agreement. 'Why the sudden change of heart any way?' He asked calmly. 'Well...I heard you guys at the door... And I felt kinda bad about interrupting your guys' date, so I figured I'd just let you guys go... And go look on my own.'

'Star...' Jackie began. 'That's nice of you and all, but did you really think we would put our relationship above your safety?' Jackie was holding Star's hands gently and smiling calmly at her. 'We want to help you find that book. Me and Marco can always hang out later on, but finding this as soon as possible is the most important thing right now. Marco was just stood there, almost surprised at Jackie's understanding. 'Well that took the words right out of my mouth. So what is the plan Star?'

She hesitated for a second, still not sure about what to do. 'Ludo's old castle would be a good place to start I guess.' Marco agreed 'Yeah, good idea, even if he isn't there, maybe we will find somebody who has seen him.' He looked worryingly at Jackie. 'If we were to run into anybody dangerous, don't fight if you can help it, just stay behind me and Star.' She nodded with a smile. 'Alright, just be careful.' It was obvious to Star that these two had formed a strong bond over the past few days, she felt a small part of her being happy for them, but she somehow still had mixed feelings that she was having a hard time brushing off.

'Alright then.' She pulled out her dimensional scissors. 'Let's go.' The glow of the portal seemed to be darker than usual, but regardless, the three stepped in, not fully knowing what to expect on the other side.


	3. Chapter 3

Looking for Ludo: Nothing had changed. Ludo's old hideout still lay in shambles, with no signs of movement anywhere. 'Well yeah, I guess that would be too easy.' Marco sighed. Jackie was staring at the remains of the castle, with an awestruck, yet questioning expression. 'So that little guy used to live here? Was he some kinda king or something?' Star and Marco looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders simultaneously. 'I don't think so. We don't really know much about him to be honest, just that he really wanted Stars wand.' explained Marco. 'That's pretty weird...' She said whilst turning towards them. 'Nobody is around though, so we should get moving right?' They both nodded. 'Yeah, maybe we can find somebody who's seen him around here... Though it does look... Kinda deserted.'

Marco began surveying the area around the debris of the castle, but all he could see were several dark mountains towering over them in the distance.

'Is there any other places he could be hiding, Star?' She paused momentarily for thought, but before she could speak, a portal opened up in front of them. Star got her wand ready to defend them, and Marco stepped in front of Jackie. They both loosened up when they saw who it was stepping through. It was Buff Frog.

'Star! Marco! Thank goodness I found you I...' He stopped as soon as he looked at the rubble behind them. 'What are you doing here?' Star explained to him what had happened to her book. 'I see, so I was too late after all.' A look of intense guilt crossed his face. 'It's okay Buff Frog. You could help us find him.' Marco said as he put a hand on his shoulder. 'Are you sure you want to do that? He has an army, and we are only four.' He was staring up at Jackie, who was looking at him as though she wanted to speak. 'For now, we just want to know where he is hiding.' This seemed to somewhat convince him. 'Okay, but we have to be careful.' All three of them nodded in agreement as he reopened a portal.

They stepped through into a clearing in a forest, and Buff Frog immediately adopted an expression of panic. 'This isn't right! Everyone go back!' but it was too late, the portal closed and they were suddenly surrounded by a flash of white. Marco couldn't see, but he could hear, and he heard Star and Jackie calling out for help, he flailed his arms around wildly, hoping to hit whatever was attacking them, and felt his hand hit something, and then there was a huge thud, but they were still calling, and the calls were getting quieter. By the time the flash subsided, his worst fears were confirmed. Star and Jackie were gone. There was a giant humanoid rat lying in front of him, right next to Stars wand.

When he looked up he saw more of the rat people entering the clearing. Without hesitation, Marco rushed forward to fight them. He felt Buff Frog try to hold him back, but he ignored it, so Buff Frog rushed in after him. There wasn't all that many of them to fight, so it didn't take to long. After they were done, Marco collapsed to his knees and punched the ground. 'Marco...' Buff Frog kneeled down next to him. 'I know where they are going.' He picked Marco up forcefully onto his feet. 'I know you won't just give up that easily. Come on, let's go save them.'


	4. Chapter 4

Imprisoned: The girls had no idea where they were being carried off too. Their eyes had been covered as soon as they got far enough away from the trap. When they could finally see, they were taken by surprise. They were in a cell.

The creature that had carried them slammed the door shut and angrily snarled through the bars before walking away. 'Where... Are we?' said Star while examining the walls of the cell. Jackie was sat down, not speaking a word. 'Jackie, are you okay?' She broke out of her trance with a giggle. 'Oh yeah I'm totally fine, I was just thinking about how both times I've gone to another dimension, I've ended up in some sorta trouble.' Star laughed weakly as Jackie got to her feet. 'More importantly, we should try and figure our way out of here. I don't think these guys running into us like they did was an accident.'

Star nodded understandingly. 'Ludo has to be here.' Though she didn't realize she had dropped her wand until this moment. She felt dread, worrying about what could have picked it up. Jackie noticed her sudden change of attitude. 'Relax Star, we can find another...' But Star cut her off. 'No! You don't understand! I've already lost my family's book, and now some other monster probably has my wand too!' Star was on the verge of tears. 'But what about Marco?' This seemed to calm her down. 'I couldn't tell, but it sounded like he was putting up a fight to me. I bet if anyone got the wand, he did.'

Star wiped her eyes. 'How are you not... Scared by all this, I mean isn't this too much for you to handle?' Jackie walked to the front of the cell and looked out. 'You're right. I should be scared.' She let out a small chuckle. 'But I'm not. I know how Marco is. I bet right now, him and that frog guy are already on there way here and they are going to get here no matter what it takes.' She paused for a moment. 'And you know him too, so what I should be asking is... Why are YOU scared?' Star fell back against the wall and sat in silence. There was a strange hissing sound and a dim yellow light that seemed to come from the lock.

'Star!' Jackie yelled under her breath while she examined the lock. 'It's open!' Star jumped to her feet as fast as she could. She glanced at it with amazement. 'Was that... Me?' She was staring down at her hands. 'It looks like it.' Jackie slowly began reaching for the door, but pulled back when she heard footsteps. The two of them backed away from the door, so they didn't look suspicious.

A few seconds passed before a pair of their captors came into their view. 'I didn't expect it to work, but come take a look.' they both sat silently listening to their conversation. 'Well, I'll admit I didn't believe you at first.' one of the rats was pressing his nose through the bars, grinning. 'There was a third one too, but he managed to... Get away.' The second rat looked guilty. 'Hmph. Well this other Mewman may be trouble if he was able to fight off that many of us. Best be on the lookout for him. as for these two. Well they could be useful, can't imagine they'd help in the mill, so just keep an eye on them.' And with that the other Rat left.

'Couldn't tell you're boss that your men couldn't take on a 14 year old huh?' Jackie sniggered at him. 'Don't think just because were keeping you in here that means I can't come in there and teach you a lesson!' He seemed to spit his words through the bars. 'I'd like to see you try.'

Star almost felt like stopping Jackie, but then she saw the look on her face, she was definitely planning something. 'Then take a real good look.' The creature laughed maliciously as he took out the cell key.

As he put it in the door, the cell opened slightly, and he paused for a second, confused. Before he had a chance to react, Jackie charged the door, flinging it open so fast that it pushed their guard backwards into a wall behind him, knocking him out cold. She turned around and reached her hand out to Star, who was gawking in amazement at what she had just seen. 'Come on, let's go find Marco.'


	5. Chapter 5

Marco was still slightly disoriented from whatever had blinded him, and was doing his best to follow Buff Frog in the direction he thought the girls had been taken, but Marco could tell he was having difficulty, and neither of them had actually seen where they went. They just seemed to be walking into more forest.

'I'm surprised we haven't run into more of their patrols by now.' Said Buff Frog, attempting to lower his voice while looking at his surroundings. 'Yeah...' Marco began 'Maybe it's better that way though. I don't know how we would handle a group bigger than that one.' Buff Frog flashed him a toothy, almost menacing grin. 'We wouldn't have to fight, not it they don't see us.' Marco immediately caught his meaning. 'You think they'd lead us to where they took Star and Jackie?' He gave a slight nod. 'That would be the easiest way. Cannot guarantee we won't have to fight though. Maybe to have one of them show us the way...' He seemed to stop mid-thought. 'Or we could have them take us there.' Said Marco, a little louder than he had hoped. Buff Frog looked confused. 'You mean, get captured?' Marco nodded enthusiastically, despite Buff Frog's obvious disapproval of his idea. 'Yeah, and once they bring us there, we can escape, find the girls, and get out.' Buff Frog stopped in his tracks.

'Marco...I know you want to help them as quickly as possible, but we cannot rush, these people are far more dangerous than you think.' 'All the more reason to get there quickly right?' Marco was losing his composure. 'There's no point in getting there fast if we can't get out safely. If they capture us and we escape, it won't be long before they figure it out and then we have the whole place to deal with, and who's to say if we find the girls before then?' Marco hung his head. 'I'm sorry, I just don't want either of them to get hurt.' He felt Buff Frog rest his large hand on his back. 'I understand, but you can't ignore your personal safety, that will only cause more pain, for all who are involved.' Marco nodded with silent understanding as they continued to listen for other signs of movement.

A few minutes passed before Buff Frog froze in place. He could hear footsteps. 'There's three of them, coming this way. Quick, hide!' He gently corralled Marco into a group of bushes not far from where they were stood, trying not to make too much noise. They saw the group pass by near enough the exact spot they had been standing a few minutes ago. There was three of the rats, one of which was carrying another creature with a bag on its head. 'That's a prisoner, they are probably heading back, this is our chance!'

After the group was a decent distance away, they both emerged from the bush. 'Looks like we were going in the exact opposite direction. Figures' Marco chuckled sadly. 'Yes, atleast we are heading the right way now.' Marco took a look at the person being carried. 'What about them? Are we going to help?' This was a question Buff Frog almost didn't want to answer, but he figured he owed it to Marco. 'We... Can't. I mean we could, but it might be too risky.' Marco tried his best to understand, he knew the reason why they were there, but it just felt wrong letting people get captured like this. What felt like hours passed as they silently tailed the creatures, who were oddly enough just as silent, until they finally reached an opening in the woods, and what Marco saw left him speechless. He was looking at Mewnie.

Buff Frog paused too, to give Marco time to compose himself. He pointed to the hole in the barrier as the creatures crawled through. 'Ludo used his magic to do that somehow. I don't know what he is planning, but they don't know he's there.' Marco snapped out of his trance of confusion. 'I wonder if Star knows where she is.' They finally started moving cautiously towards the portal, keeping mind of anyone who might come out of the forest. Just as they reached the hole and were about to crawl through, they saw some of the corn behind the shield moving, and prepared for the worst, but were instead greeted by Star and Jackie, who seemed to be holding each other up.

Marco stood in silence as the two of them pushed forward, not noticing him right away. Jackie looked up and stared into his eyes and immediately her face lit up. 'Star, look! We made it.' Star looked up too, but seemed less concerned with Marco, and more with what was in front of him. She turned her head, and was quickly filled with feelings of fear and dread. 'What... Is this. How could they be here?' She was overcome with anxiety, and began to breath erratically. Jackie struggled to keep her under control as she moved her to the hole. She heard the corn moving behind her. 'They've caught up to us! Marco pull her through quick!' Marco grabbed Star's trembling hand and quickly pulled her through as he saw a group of the rat-men emerge from the corn field. He then reached through to Jackie, grabbing her hand before she could even react. He pulled her through with such force that he fell in his back, and she lay on top of him. They both looked in each other's eyes with a look of relief, before Jackie rolled over to the side of him, blushing. They both looked back at the hole to see one of the rat-men attempting to climb through the hole, reaching for Jackie's foot. She kicked it's hand back, but it was not deterred. Marco quickly got up and gave it a flying kick to the face, which pushed it back significantly. Buff Frog rushed to the hole. 'Get them out of here Marco! I'll hold them back, it'll be fine, they can only go through one at a time!' Marco nodded triumphantly at him as he turned around to help Jackie, who was already on her feet attending to Star. Star on the other hand, didn't seem to have taken her eyes off of the castle. Marco grabbed the dimensional scissors from Stars pocket and opened a portal as fast as he could, given one final nod towards Buff Frog as he stepped through.


	6. Chapter 6

Home:The three of them were safe in Star's room again and it seemed like they had been gone much longer than they thought as it was dark outside. Star stared back into the portal as Marco was closing it. 'They're in Mewnie.' She sank to the ground under the weight of her words. Marco quickly tried to think of something to calm her down, and then he remembered her wand. He pulled it out and handed it to her gently. 'Here, I think you dropped this, I almost forgot I had at after everything that happened.' She smiled weakly back at him. 'Thanks Marco.'

Jackie and Marco sat next to her on the ground. 'What do you think we should do now?' Jackie asked. 'I don't know what we can do right now. I mean who knows if that's the only place they got in...I...' Marco stopped her mid-sentence. 'Star, I think the best thing to do would be to tell your parents.' Jackie nodded 'He's right, if they know, maybe they can do something about it?' Star remained silent. 'I know they might not be happy about what happened to Glossaryk, but it's not safe for them if they don't know what's going on right?' 'I guess you're right. I wouldn't want anything worse to happen.' She replied sadly. 'We'll even go with you... If you want.' Said Jackie, in an attempt to cheer her up.' Star put on another, weak, unconvincing smile. 'Yeah, that'd be great, let's do it tomorrow though, im pretty tired.' Jackie hugged Star after they all stood up. 'We can fix this, don't worry. Get some rest.' After she pulled away, Marco followed suit. 'Goodnight Star.' And they left the room without another word.

'I'm sorry that we kinda got sidetracked again... I didn't really expect to be gone that long.' Marco said, sounding guilty. 'Hey it's cool, I had a good time, even though I kinda got kidnapped.' Marco chuckled nervously and scratched his head. 'Yeah my bad... But hey, it's getting pretty late, I don't suppose you'd still wanna go skating?' Marco asked, uncertainly. 'I think we should just relax for a while.' Marco wanted to suggest watching a movie, but a better idea suddenly popped into his head. 'Perfect, follow me!' He grabbed Jackie's hand and lead her to his room, where he started to open his window. 'Marco what are you...' Jackie began, but was stopped when she saw him climbing up to the roof. 'Oh my gosh, be careful!' She rushed to the open window, and saw him leaning over, staring down at her. 'Well aren't you coming up?' He reached his hand down towards her, and, although she was reluctant, she grabbed it and started climbing.

After getting into the roof safely, Marco laid down, and Jackie lay next to him. 'Not exactly what I meant by relaxing...' She laughed as she put her hands behind her head. 'But it's nice up here. Have you done this before?' Marco smiled as he shook his head. 'Nope, I just figured it might be a cool place to wind down after the day we just had, you know?' They both looked to the stars above them. 'Doesn't it feel weird to you?' Marco turned his head towards her. 'After all you've seen with Star, doesn't it feel weird to wonder about how much more there is? I mean I've only been to two of these dimensions and my head is already spinning.' She lifted her arm and pointed. 'Like who's to say that isn't some weird world filled with...I dont know, hairy fish?' Marco chuckled 'I don't know, but now that you mention it, that would be interesting to see, if not just a little counter intuitive.' They both stopped to imagine what something like that would actually look like, and laughed in unison.

After they stopped laughing, Marco looked to Jackie, who was looking sad for some reason. 'Is something wrong?' She shook her head a little. 'N... Kinda, I just realized I hadn't really thanked you yet, you know? If you hadn't been right where you were, if you hadn't pulled me through that hole, I don't know where I'd be. You really came through for us... For me.' Marco was speechless for a second, but her words made him feel accomplished. 'No need to thank me, I can't imagine what you and Star did to get there, I'm just glad that you're safe. Maybe next time we can go somewhere less dangerous.' Jackie yawned as she turned over, resting her head on top of his chest. 'I'd really like that.' Marco put his arm gently over her head. 'Me too.' And before long, they were both sound asleep, under the calming light of the Moon.


	7. Chapter 7

Marco was woken by the slight rays of sun peeking over the horizon. He looked down to Jackie, who was still sound asleep on his chest. He hadn't actually thought about the fact that Jackie probably had a curfew. He tapped her shoulder gently , while trying not to freak out. 'Jackie, it's morning, we gotta get you home. She slowly sat upright, placing her head in her hand at the realization. 'My parents are gonna kill me...'

Marco wrapped his arm around her shoulder. 'Why don't I get my parents to take you home, i'm sure they would be able to explain.' Jackie sighed. 'Nah, it's cool, you don't need to worry them. My parents will probably be asleep too' He heard her words, but her face was not convincing at all. 'Well okay. But you aren't going to stop ME from coming are you?' He tried his best to look into her eyes, but she was still staring at the roof. 'Marco It's not...' But he stopped her. 'And by that I mean you can't stop me.' Jackie's expression changed to a slight smile, though she was trying to hide it. 'Okay, well, since I'm so late already, why don't you finally break in that board?' He smiled slyly and took her hand. 'Your on!' And they climbed down to the window together.

They quickly rushed downstairs, grabbing their boards from by the door and set up outside. Jackie stood on her board first. 'Just put your feet like I have mine.' Marco followed suit, almost stumbling a few times, but he eventually got it. Jackie flashed him a thumbs up. 'Great balance! Let's go!' And she was off. Marco was a little surprised, but he was able to go after her, while keeping his eyes on her feet. It wasn't long before he was confident enough to actually look up. He saw Jackie turn her head back to him, and their eyes met. He was amazed at how effortless and graceful she looked in this, though he was also making sure to look in front of her too, just in case.

Soon enough he was also matching her speed. 'Betcha can't catch me though!' She yelled back at him tauntingly, before speeding up. 'I'll take that bet!' It quickly became clear how much Jackie was holding back, as she was two streets of Marco within about five seconds, but he wouldn't back down. He saw her look back to him again, to give him a congratulatory nod as he began to close the gap.

Before they knew it, they arrived at her house. They were both panting. 'You... Did pretty good for your first time Marco. I thought you might actually catch me.' She punched him playfully in the arm. 'Ha, I'll get you next time!' They both laughed as they walked up to the door, and the mood suddenly changed. 'Alright, well hey, I... Really had a great time and... Well I hope we can spend time together like this again soon, I'm just not sure how long I'll be grounded, so maybe we can skate home from school together?' Marco smiled softly, with a hint of sadness in it. 'Of course, I'd love too.' And he wrapped his arms around her tightly. 'And don't worry.'

After they released each other, they were surprised to see the door open next to them, revealing Jackie's, very angry looking dad. 'Mr Thomas.' He stammered nervously. 'I can explain.' 'Well... Go ahead.' he replied sternly, yet understandingly. Marco paused for a moment, surprised that this had worked. He was halfway tempted to make something up, but he didn't. He told the him the exact truth, though he did find it unnecessary to tell him Jackie was asleep on him, he told him everything else. Jackie's dad thought for a second while Marco and Jackie just stood in silence. 'Go inside Jackie, I'll talk with you in a minute.' She walked slowly into the door, and looked back with a worried frown on her face. 'Bye Marco.' Her voice reflected her expression almost perfectly.

Now it was just her Dad and Marco. He stared at Marco for a couple seconds before finally opening his mouth to speak. 'You know, I'd prefer having my daughter stay out late knowing where she is, to not knowing and worrying about her all night...' Marco nodded. 'I know, I should have thought about that sir. I'm really sorry.' His expression seemed to soften a little. 'Well, I'm just glad she's home safe, I can see I had nothing to worry about, but...' He paused to lean in closer to Marco. 'I do not want this to happen again.' Marco nodded, unable to find words through the fear. 'Have a nice day.' He waved as he closed the door.

Marco was still a little worried about what kind of punishment Jackie would get, but her dad had been much softer on him than he excluded expected, so he was optimistic. As he was skating home, he heard his phone start to ring, and quickly came to a stop. It was a text from Jackie. 'So I'm stuck at home for a week :/ but all things considered, it could be way worse right? I guess my dad likes you. Thanks for talking to him, I know that couldn't have been easy. I'll see you at school 3' He smiled to himself as he started his reply. 'Hey yeah! A weeks not so bad! And no problem, it was the least I could do, he does kinda scare me though, so I hope you're right. I'll see you then! And I'll make sure to bring my board!' And he hit send, only to immediately start a second message. '3' His face reddened as he inched towards the send button, he almost didn't do it, but quickly tapped the button and shoved the phone in his pocket before he could second guess himself. 'Smoooooth.' He whispered to himself as he got back on his board. It took him much longer to get home, since he was trying to go at a safe speed this time, which helped him to be even more confident with his riding skills, he even considered trying a trick or two, but decided to save that for Jackie. He knew even if he fell, he'd have more fun doing it with her watching.

When he arrived home, the house was still quiet. His phone received another two texts, which he read while climbing the stairs to his room. 'Ah he's not that bad, you'll see! I should totally get a board for Star too!' The second text was two hearts, which made Marco laugh at himself. He could again feel Jackie's warm smile through the phone. He reached his bed and collapsed onto it before starting his reply. 'That would be a great way to cheer her up, just a word of advice though... We have to teach her how to stop first!' He laughed at himself again as he pictured Star flying around town on a skateboard. He started to feel his eyelids getting increasingly heavy, so he started another message. 'I'm still kinda tired though, I'm gonna nap a little, I'll talk to you later...Good-not-so-much-night 333.' 'There's no way she can beat three hearts!' He said to himself jokingly as he hit send.

Marco didn't take long to go to sleep, he never even put his phone down. Jackie sat on the other side of the conversation smiling and blushing while contemplating how she would make him smile when he woke up. 'Goodnight handsome? Maybe? No... Pet names are weird... Sleep well?' She let out a frustrated grunt. 'This is difficult. Why am I so nervous? Maybe I could just send a funny picture or something...I don't know. Relax Jackie, you're over thinking this.' She began typing out everything that was on her mind, not giving a care in the world about length. After she finished, she let out a huge sigh, before reading it over a few times. 'I think that'll do it.' She said to herself as her finger inched ever closer to the send button.


End file.
